Bradford lane



(No Model B. LANE. EARTH AUGER.

No. 470,059. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

WITNESSES W @zc/ IN VENTOR A TTOHNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRADFORD LANE, OF CARLTON, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO lVILLIAM ADDISON HOWE, OF SAME PLACE.

' EARTH-AUGER.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,059, dated March 1, 1892.

Application filed April 25, 1891.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, BRADFORD LANE, of Carlton, in the county of Yam Hill and State of Oregon, have inventeda new and Impro ved Earth-Auger, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide an efficient earth-auger of simple and durable construction, especially designed for use in digging post-holes.

The invention consists in the novel construction hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

Reference is to'be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken perspective view of an earth-auger embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the lines mm, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the improved cutting-blades, and Fig. 4 is a side edge view thereof.

In constructing an earth-auger in accordance with myinvention I provide a handle or shank A, of suitable length, provided with a cross-handle a at its upper end, and at the lower end said shank is bifurcated or otherwise provided or formed with rigid arms A. A, which depart downwardly from said shank and slightly diverge laterally, as best shown in Fig. 2, so that their lower ends are in slightly different planes. To the diverging arms A A the cutting-blades B are secured, which are so disposed as to bring the side cutting-edge b of each blade outside the opposite back edge of the companion blade. The blades B are concaved or dished transversely, as shown in Fig. 2, and curved inwardly at the lower end. The outwardly-projecting cutting-edges of the blades correspond, and, with the exception that such cutting-edges are sharpened, they correspond with the back edges of the blades. The side edges of. each blade at the top, from the point of connection with its support A,

are inclined in opposite directions, as at 1) b and from the lower terminal of such inclined portions the edges extend in a vertical or approximately vertical direction for a short distance, as at 11 11 then diagonally inward, as

Serial No. 390,408. (No model.)

at b b, the opposite edges thus inwardly i clined joining the somewhat broad transverse bottom edge b the said bottom edge ranging in a slightly diagonal direction. With the edges of the blades thus formed and the blades 5 5 bodily curved transversely and curved inward at the bottom, and with the blades set in slightly different planes, as described, it will be seen that the projecting cutting-edges b, which ext-end from the lower terminal of the vertical portion 1) to the back or heel of the bottom edge, will out at all points with a shearing out, and the earth will be guided and forced between the cutting-edges and the opposed back edges. Further, the broad bottom cutting-edges will cut a considerable area at the bottom of the hole and will efiectively support the material so cut, the escape of the earth while being lifted from the hole being further prevented by the opposed inwardlycurving sides of the blades. The improved auger will thus effect the cutting of a large hole in an easy and expeditious manner, enabling a large bite to be quickly cut and compactly held while being removed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is.-

1. An earth-auger having the cutting-edges of its blades outside of the back edges of the opposed blades and having each an inwardlyinclined side cutting-edge and a broad transversely-ranging bottom cutting-edge joining said inclined cutting-edge, substantially as described.

2. In an earth-auger, cutting-blades rigidly supported from a single handle, said blades being curved or concaved transversely and having inturned bottoms, and each blade having the opposite side edges formed approximately with vertically-ranging portions 5 b inwardly and downwardly inclined portions 1) Z), and slightly diagonal bottom edges 11 one side and the bottom of each blade being sharpened, substantially as described.

BRADFORD LANE. 

